Aircraft appliance



R. M. NARDONE AIRGRAFT APPLIANGE original Filed March s1, 19:52

\ April 30, 1940.

JNVENTOR. ,n/wea M/Vamme Patented Apr. 30, 1,940

UNITED STATES e naar AIRCRAFT APPLIANCE Romeo M. Nardone, East Orange, N. J., assigner,

by mesne assignments, to Eclipse Aviation Corporation, East Orange, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 31, 1932, Serial No. 602,276

Renewed April 7, 1938.

5 Claims.

This invention relates to aircraft appliances l and particularly to appliances which facilitate smooth and safe landing of `an aircraft. p

The invention is herein shown as applied to an airplane of a type requiring tired-wheels as the ground contacting portion of the Alanding gear, but it is ,to be understood that in its broadest aspects this invention is applicable to any other type of aircraft having a landing gear.

i The large tire of an airplane wheel takes severe punishment when the plane lands, due to the fact that it must, theoretically, assume a speed of rotation corresponding to the landing speed of the ship. 'I'he wheels, weighing in some cases six hundred pounds each, and having a large moment of inertia, arev forced to slip for some time before reaching the proper speed, and the result is that large pieces of rubber are stripped or burned off the tire at each landing. This action is especially 50 severe when landing on concrete runways.

An object of the present invention is to provide i means to start the wheels rotating prior to landing, such that their speed is nearly proportional to the landing speed of the plane. In the pref erred embodiment as shown herein, the acceleration is accomplished by means of a spring-type starter where the spring is wound up by. the wheel itself, either While taxying or Just after leaving the ground. In the latter case, the wheel stores up its energy in the spring, comes to a dead stop, and the apparatusis automatically locked. When landing, a lever, operated from the pilots compartment, is actuated to release the spring and Speed up the wheel to practically the same speed as it had when taking off.

Another object of the invention is to produce a compact, efficient and readily installed and removable mechanism for` accomplishingthe purposes stated above. Y v

These and other-objects will become apparent upon inspection of the following specification and the accompanying drawing, wherein is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawing is intended merely to serve as an illustration of one modeof embodying the invention in a practical form and is not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of an airplane having landing gears of the type to which the invention may be applied in the manner illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a vertical axial sectional view through one of the wheels of the landing gear of Fig. 1, showing the invention applied thereto; and

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, the invention is shown embodied in a landing gear including a pair of rubber tired wheels 5 and 6 rotatable through the medium of bearings II about stationary tubes or axles 1 and 8 respectively forming part of diagonal braces!! and I respectively; the latter being tied into the fuselage of the plane as indicated at I2, and through the usual shockabsorbing means, as indicated at I3. Extending througheach tube or axle 1-8 is a'rod I4 pivotally connected to one arm of an associated bell crank I; the other arms of which are adapted to receive cables I1 wound about a pulley I8 and terminating in a handle I9 within reach of the operator ofthe craft, and serving when drawn taut by the operator to move the rods I4 outwardly through the wheels 5 and 6 for a purpose to appear presently.

Secured to the wheel 6 by suitable means 22 is a plate 23 having a hub 24 transversely drilled to receive a plunger 25 for coaction with sockets 25 and 26a, for a. purpose to be hereinafter described; the outer periphery of the plate being surrounded by a cup shaped hub cap 26b-to which may be ysecured a suitable cover 21, the attachment of the cover 21 to the cap 2Gb being effected by screws 28. A plurality of rivets 28a serve to hold in place, within the cap 26h, a bracket 30 having a laterally extending lug `3l -adapted to pivotally receive a rock-shaft 32 for a purpose to be described, and also having a laterally extending hub 33, in its central bore of which is received a friction reducing sleeve 35 in which is journaled the extended hub 36 of a pinion 31 ccnstituting part of a gear train through which the rotation of the ilywheel 6 is transmitted to the energy receiving member. As herein shown, the energy is received in a spirally wound spring III), the outer end of which is secured to a depression 4I in the hub cap 26h, and the inner end to the extended hub 43 of an internally toothed annular gear M about which the pinion 31 and a similar pinion 45 (herein shown as integral therewith) rotates as a unit. 'Ihe pinion 31 in turn meshes with apinion IIS on one end of which is provided a series of ratchet teeth 41 adapted to be connected by corresponding ratchet teeth on the opposing face of a collar 49, normally urged toward the left by virtue of a coil spring 32a coacting through member 3l and a, member 53. In the peripheral groove 50 of this collar, a yoke member 5I is received, the lowei` end of the yoke being adapted to swing with the previously de-` scribed rock shaft 32, such motion being imparted thereto by means of. the link 53 connected to the end of rod I4. As shown, the collar 46 `is splined to the correspondingly splined outer end of a sleeve 56, the said sleeve constituting an integrally elongated extension of a plate51, the outer rim of which is splined- (as best'shown in Fig. 3)

to engage corresponding splines formed on the interior surface of the hub 24, the members 51 and 24 being normally held against relative axial movement by the provision of the'spring pressed plunger 25, above' described.

From the foregoing it is apparent that as the craft leaves the ground, in taking olf after a run of a certain length along the field, the resulting free rotation lof each wheel 6.is effective to wind the corresponding spring 46 through the driving.

connections 23, 51, 56, 49, 46, gears 31, 45, and

44. In order tohold the energy rthus stored iny the spring until the pilot is preparing to land, a

second ratchet is preferably provided, this sec' ond ratchet mechanism also serving to drivably connect the spring with the wheels to cause the transfer to the latter of the stored energy in the spring upon release of the first described rotatable connection shown at 41. In the preferred form as shown, the second ratchet mechanism said hub having its interior surface splined to engage corresponding splines in the outer cylindrical surface of a sleeve 66, to which sleeve the said hub 43 is also splined and held against axialy movement in one direction by a locking ring 61. Suitable friction reducing sleeves 66 are provided between the sleeves 66 and 56 thus facilitating relative rotation of the two sleeves, and for a similar purpose, washers 66 are provided at the other end of the sleeve 66.

Another novel feature of the invention is the provision of a clutch of predetermined torque transmitting capacity adapted to yield to prevent breakage of the spring 40 in the event the jaws 41 should be in engagement While the plane is making its take-olf along 4the field- Preferably this clutch is interposed between a stationary element capable of the movement necessary,

as for example, the hub cap 26b to which the outer end 'of the spring is secured. As shown, the clutch consists of a series of interleaving friction discs 16, certam of which are splined to the inner periphery of a sleeve 1I which is in turn threaded to the end of the axle 8, the other discs being splined to the outer periphery of'a shaft 13, in which the rod I4vis slidably received, the said shaft also being provided near its outer end with splines 16 adapted to receive the'hub cap 2Gb, which is centrally apertured and splined topermit its being secured to'sleeve 13, while a retaining nut 16 is provided to insure' retension of the hub cap in place. The means for reguiatL- aspects in assembled relation, the plate 63 having an abutment with a shoulder 64 o n the shaft 13. As shown, the pressure of the springs`6l is adjustable by means of nut 66 threaded to the end of the shaft 13, the nut having preferably associated therewith a washer 66 from which extends a series of studs 66 assisting in holding the springs 6I in position.

Assuming the wheels to be rotating clockwise (looking at the left hand side, as viewed in Fig. 1) the shape of teeth 6I is such that ratchet 66 is pushed away from plate 23 and no drive is transmitted. Sleeve `56, rotating with the wheel, drives collar 46 which then drives pinion 46 through teeth 41. Gears 31 and-45 then rotate gear 44 in a counter-clockwise direction so as to 'wind up the spring. If, now, the wheel has just left the ground and is rotating, its energy is transferred to the spring until it stops. During this spring winding process the two ratchet clutch mechanisms cooperate to prevent unwinding, since the gearing interposed between the clutch collar 46 and the spring 46 exerts a tendency to rotate collar 46 (and hence the sleeve 56 which is splined thereto) in a direction opposite to that in which the clutch 66 tends to rotate the interlocked elements 24 and 56. These opposing tendencies nulllfy each other and thus constitute interlocking means preventing the release of cnergy stored in the spring so long as the two ratchet clutch mechanisms are maintained, in a gear 44, splined sleeve 66, collar 66, and plate'23 to wheel 6. The wheel is thus accelerated to approximately the speed which it had on leaving the ground, with the result that an easy rolling contact is made as the craft lands.

If desired, collar 46 may be moved further to the right so as to engage collar 66 and then carry with it members 56, 6.6 and 66, thus disconnecting the device entirely from the wheel so that the plane may be backed up without winding the spring in the opposite direction.` This shifting causes the spring-backed plunger r25 to engage depression 26a and thus operates to yieldably hold the parts just enumeratedv in this disconnected relation to the plate 23. The unit can also be made toact as a brake after landing by re-engaging teeth 41, thus re-winding spring v46, and slipping clutch 16.

Should the jaws 41, be in engagement while ein' the plane is making its run or take olf, the spring a 46 will wind up until a sulcient torque isbuilt up to slip the clutch 16 through housing 26h and ,and safe landing of an'aircraft as well as permit movement of the craft in a reverse direction along the ground without injury to the' mechanism or to the plane and winch may likewise -act as above noted, as a brake on the craft after it has landed.

It is to be understood however, 'that the latter features are optional and may be dispensed with,

as well as the other details not essential to the basic pri eipies of the invention in its broadest indicated in the broadest of the appended claims. Certain of the other appended claims, however, are directed to the optional features as they also constitute a part of the invention, when considered in its other phases. Reference is therefore to be made to all` of `the appended claims for a definition -of the entire scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. 'I'he method of imparting rotary movement to the landing gear of an aircraft prior to contact of the craft with the ground comprising rst Areceiving member for any desired period, a second driving connection through which the energy previously stored in said last named member may be returned at will to said rotatable part, means eifective to break said second named connection when it is desired to move the craft in a direction opposite to its normal direction of movement, and means including a yieldable detent operatively associated with said landing gear for holding said connection in the broken condition.

3. In a Wheell driving mechanism, in combination, an energy receiving spring and a driving connection between said wheel and spring includv ing a member operating to prevent the dischargefor any desired period of energy stored in said spring, a second driving connection for returning such energy to said wheel, means for holding said second driving connection normally inoperative, manually operable means for withdrawing said holding .means. said manually operable means being further eiective to break said second named connection when it is desired to rtate thev wheel in a direction opposite to its normal direction ofA rotation, and means including a yieldable detent operatively associated with said spring for holding said connection in broken condition.

4. In an airplane, a landing wheel, a spring Vmotor engageable with said wheel, and ,unitary control means selectively operable either to lock said spring motor out of engagementwith, to engage said spring motor in driving relation to, or to place said spring motor into condition to be wound by the rotation of said wheel.

5. In an airplane, in combination, alanding wheel, means for accumulating, storing and releasing energy, a device adapted to engage said wheel when it is being rotated by motion of said aircraft along the ground for accumulating energy in said means, a second `device associated with said means adapted to engage said wheel and to release energy from said means to cause rotation of said wheel, .and unitary control mechanism associated with said two devices, said mechanism being adapted to selectively operate said devices and being adapted to hold said two devices out of engagement with said wheel to allow free rotation 

